Join Melissa and Suniti on a vacation retreat in Costa Rica, where we will seek to awaken and investigate new ways of inhabiting the body.  Together we will examine what it’s like to feel and get close to our own experience.  We will do so by engaging in a series of practices that encourage us to enter a dialogue with our bodies.  Through movement and stillness, creativity and form, we will explore those places where we experience freedom.  We will also guide our attention to those places that get parked, stuck or rigid, inviting greater openness and elasticity.

The incredible landscape that envelops Ahki Retreat Center in Nosara has a beautiful way of penetrating and awakening the human senses.  The gentle wind, slow pace, kind people, warm sun, lapping ocean, fresh fruit and nutritious food encourage us to enter an enlivened state of perception and connection.

Breaking the regular patterns of daily life with a week of self-care practices enables us to Come To Our Senses in a fully embodied way.  The renewal such practices offer supports our return home, allowing us to inhabit ourselves more fully and to enter a deeper mode of relation that includes all of life.

Melissa and Suniti began working together when they led the first annual ENSO Zen Hike with Michael Stone in 2017.  A new Dharma-Sister friendship was found and they continue to explore working together in varying forms.  Melissa has been travelling with her family to Nosara, Costa Rica for 14 years and is excited to share this experience with Suniti and you -

Suniti Dernovsek

Suniti Dernovsek is a choreographer, performer and movement educator living in Portland, OR. She has been a student of dance, yoga and Buddhism for 20 years. She teaches a warm and generous style of movement that is influenced by her interest in contemporary and classical dance forms, somatics, yoga and mindfulness practice. She brings her love of movement, fondness of detail and her own understanding of practice into her teaching. 

'My interest as a movement guide is to offer an embodied experience that respects each individual’s process. Through years of practice I am skilled at seeing bodies and directing attention to what is quiet or unanimated. When we strengthen our ability to pay attention we open up to more possibilities and we bring an experience into existence that did not previously exist. I view asana and all movement practice as creative research involving an open flow of information. We learn morae about what we think we know and are in a constant state of surprise from all that we do not know'.

Suniti has been teaching since 2004, leads yoga teacher training in Portland OR, and collaborates with renown teachers to offer meditation & movement retreats throughout California, Portland, Washington and British Columbia.   She studies with Michael Stone in heart, Lama Padma Drimed Norbu, Wendy Hambidge and Todd Jackson. I bring my love of movement, fondness of detail and my own understanding of practice into my teaching.  Read more about Suniti's work as a choreographer, performer and movement educator at  suniti.net

Melissa Berry Appleton

The Practice of Yoga and Meditation provide an opportunity to slow down, notice that time is precious, expression of love matters, and experience how all of life is truly interwoven.  Through movement and stillness, we work beyond language to shift our own habits and support the outer world in endless ways.  Melissa's classes invite people to explore inner landscapes of the body, outer landscapes of the world, compassion, creativity, wise alignment, and breath.  Both yoga and meditation practices are strong, gentle, and accessible in the same way we might want our lives to be ~ 

Currently, Melissa is in Buddhist Chaplaincy Training at Upaya Zen Centre, New Mexico under the study of Roshi Joan Halifax.  Her current work explores a woman's aspect in family life, 21st-century feminist perspective, cultural anxiety, addiction, consumption of information technology, time, and the greater impact on the future of our world.  How does self-care and spiritual formation serve as a collective 'we care' ultimately unfolding our greatest aspirations for parenting, partnership, human flourishing, community engagement, meaningful work, and influence on generations moving forward ~

Melissa teaches yoga at Moksha Yoga, leads workshops, retreats, and is Executive Director of ENSO society (registered charity) in collaboration with amazing Buddhist Practitioners, Clinical Counsellors, Movement Specialist, and Wilderness Guides.  Her current passionate work projects include ~

• Annual Yoga & Meditation Retreat in Costa Rica
• ENSO Silent Retreat - Stillness and Movement
• Chaplain Residency, Somatic Movement, Karis Addiction Recovery Centre for Women
• Dharma-Inspired Wilderness Expeditions for teens 
• Compassion-based training for Front-line workers. 
• Weekly Meditation & Yoga - Zen Inspired.
• Addiction Recovery Retreats ~ Shift Education & ENSO
• Teaching Yoga at Moksha Yoga Kelowna

melissaberryappleton.com

ENSOsociety.com 

AHKI Retreat Centre is located in the lush mountainside near Nosara and the legendary surf beach at Play Guiones and mere minutes to local beaches. Nosara and the surrounding Nicoya Peninsula region holds a vibrant energy unlike any other and is the perfect place to heal and nourish the body, heart and mind. Nothing gets left behind. The resort and setting are soothing and meticulously designed. See more at:

https://www.ahkiretreatcostarica.com

*The best time to purchase flight at good prices is May-September.  Great sales and best easy transfers.  Prices tend to increase slowly after October.

• Sunscreen, 
sun hat, 
swim suit

• Toiletries

• Simple slip-on shoes

• Mosquito repellent

• Some cash in American dollars for massages / excursions
• Water bottle

The $500 deposit is non-refundable. Cancellations prior to 12 weeks will receive a refund of monies paid, less the $500 deposit. Cancellations within 12 weeks of retreat date are non-refundable, with any outstanding balance fully payable. Since last minute injuries, illnesses, work emergencies, or deaths in the family unfortunately do happen, we HIGHLY recommend travel insurance.

"This was an amazing experience. I cannot speak highly enough about this retreat that Melissa and Bill created. The setting is breathtaking (Ahki Retreat Centre), the effort and care taken with each and every delicious and nourishing meal was inspiring and the teachings offered resulted in a week in paradise that I will never forget. Melissa and Bill exceeded my expectations on every level. The days were laid out in a way that afforded participants a balanced experience of rest, challenge, quiet and connection with others. The meditation and yoga practices introduced me to many new concepts and deepened my practice. I have come away from this experience rejuvenated, re-aligned and excited to take this experience into 2018 and beyond. Thank you so much for the preparation and energy you both put into this retreat. I have been blessed by it." Gratefully, Terry-Lynn Hammering, BC

'As a yoga teacher who has been teaching for 20+ years, I attended the Pause Yoga & Meditation Retreat with a beginner's mind. It felt relaxing to be a student and not only did I learn new movements but I was able to take my practice to a deeper level with the meditations and thought provoking topics. Melissa and Bill are fabulous leaders and we're a nice balance of masculine & feminine energies. They really excelled in teaching to a group of students with varying abilities and experience! A bow of gratitude for a memorable experience. ? Namaste, R.C.Luna(SantaFe, N.M.)

'I could not have stumbled upon a more perfect retreat experience.  AHKI centre is a stunning retreat nestled in the middle of the forest with delicious healthy food and beautiful rooms.  The balanced combination of meditation, Dharma talks and Yoga led by our incredibly knowledgeable teachers was perfect, and left me feeling completely fulfilled and energized to move forward in my life.  It was the exact reset button that I needed.' Robin Duncan, San Diego, California.